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Call for station to re-open

Councillor Gerry Pule and Mayor John Gangell are happy the old fire station has been |heritage-listed. Picture: Andrew Ritchie www.communitypix.com.au d438812

It was announced last week that the building on Parker Street, which housed more than 100 years of fire fighting history, was heritage listed.

In 1969, the building was altered to accommodate permanent firefighters for the first time, but was closed down in 2013 when the Department of Fire and Emergency Services relocated services to Kiara.

The building has been unused since.

Former volunteer Stevin Page and Kayla Dean, who lives next door to the old station, still want to see it re-opened to host a brigade.

�I think it is great for the community that the building has been heritage listed,� she said. �There is not much that can be done to it now unless it gets approval from the heritage council.

�This will make it safe from developers who might want to knock it down and put up an apartment building.

�We hope that this will help our cause to bring the volunteer firefighter brigade back to the station.�

Mr Page said it would not take much to get the brigade up and running again. �The space is better off as a volunteer station,� he said.

�It would take bugger all to get it up and going again, I know of about 30 former volunteers who are keen to come back.�

Town of Bassendean Mayor John Gangell said the council was working through the potential purchase of the station, with plans to turn it into a restaurant and museum with memorabilia on display.

�The council will have discussions with the Heritage Council to ensure any plans for the building and site are designed to enhance the heritage components and will allow an exciting proposal to be created for the use of the building and site into the future,� he said.

Bassendean MLA Dave Kelly welcomed the listing, but said it did not change the fact the community remained unhappy about its closure two years ago.

Heritage Minister Albert Jacob said the community had been a �strong supporter of the heritage listing of the station�.

�Ideas about the possible reuse of the building already have locals interested,� he said.